Leg protective armor system



Jufiy 18, 1967 M. K. HOLLY 3,331,083

LEG PROTECTIVE ARMOR SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 23, 1966 July18, 1967 M. K. HOLLY 3,331,083

LEG PROTECTIVE ARMOR SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 25, 1966 UnitedStates Patent Army Filed Feb. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 531,330 14 Ciaims. (Cl.2-2.5)

This invention relates to an armor system designed and constructed toprotect the legs of the wearer from ballistic projectiles and fragments,and, more particularly, to a leg armor system of sufiicient weight andthickness to resist penetration by small arms projectiles.

Recent experiences have shown that low performance aircraft operating atlow altitudes in combat areas have become the target of an increasingamount of small arms fire from the ground. The expression small arms asused herein refers to hand-held weapons capable of firing ammunition upto and including .30 caliber ammunition. The increase in ground fireactivity against such aircraft is due perhaps to a recognition of thevulnerability of its operating personnel to small caliber weapons. Suchcraft do not carry protective armor and fragment protective vestsheretofore worn by the operating personnel are incapable of stoppingsmall arms projectiles. Helicopters, which characteristically fly atrelatively slow speeds and at low altitudes, and frequently land inareas of active combat to deliver or pick up men and material, are, forthese reasons, not infrequently exposed to intense ground fire. It isnot feasible to provide such light aircraft with armor because the addedweight would seriously effect the performance of the aircraft and thepresence of armor would otherwise interfere with the operatingeffectiveness of the aircraft by limiting visibility, etc. With theforegoing in mind, it has been proposed that body armor be provided forthe individual members of the aircraft to provide the desired level ofprotection against small caliber weapons. However, state of the artarmor materials capable of defeating small arms projectiles weighapproximately 20 lbs. per square foot. Because of the weight involved,it is essential that body armor and particularly leg armor to which thisinvention is directed be designed to provide maximum coverage orprotection with a minimum of armor material, and that it be designed andconstructed so as to be worn with a minimum of discomfort, so as torequire a minimum expenditure of energy on the part of the wearer, andat the same time permit substantially normal leg movements. In addition,it is desirable that a leg armor system be provided with means whichpermit rapid dofling in an emergency. While the leg armor system of thisinvention is particularly suitable for use by personnel in aircraft, itmay also be used to advantage by personnel traveling in unarmored landor water-borne vehicles.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an armor systemto shield the legs of a human body from small arms projectiles, whichsystem can be carried by the wearer with comfort, will permitsubstantially normal leg movements, and which can, if necessary, berapidly removed by the wearer thereof.

Other objects, advantages, features and capabilities of this inventionwill become apparent to those skilled in the art from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of an individual wearing the legarmor assembly of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of an individual wearing the armor system ofFIGURE 1 in a sitting position;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational View from the rear showing the leg armor ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view of a modified weight transfer means; and

FIGURE 5 is a detailed view of the strap fastening mechanism employed inthe armor system.

The leg armor system of this invention comprises pivotally-connectedupper and lower leg armor sections or plates for each leg, means tofasten said sections to the leg, and means which function to transmit ortransfer at least a portion of the weight of the armor to the surfacebeneath the feet of the wearer. This latter is a necessary elementbecause the weight of armor capable of providing protection againstsmall arms fire is such as to quickly fatigue or cause discomfort to thewearer thereof. The weight of the armor sections will depend, of course,on the type of armor material used and the degree of protection desired,i.e., whether it is desired to have or some lesser degree of resistanceto penetration by a particular fragment or missile traveling at acertain velocity. Since the armor used in this system is primarilyintended to resist penetration by small arms fire, it must necessarilybe relatively thick and heavy as compared with fragment protective armoreven when using the best of the state-of-the-art materials. Such armormust of necessity have a V ballistic limit of at least 2800 feet persecond for .30 caliber ball and A.P. projectiles. Suitable armormaterials which may be used include, for example, carbon steels, ceramicfaced fiberglass composites and titanium alloys, such as, a ternaryalloy of titanium, containing 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the upper and lower armor sections on eachleg completely shield the front aspect of each leg from vicinity of theankle to a point high on the front of the thigh above the crotch of thewearer. These sections are curved so as to extend around each leg almostcompletely covering the sides of the leg, as shown in FIGURE 2.

In more detail, the lower leg armor section 10 extends from the ankle ofthe wearer to a point above the knee and completely covers the front ofthe knee when the wearer is standing or seated. This section may beshaped in any manner so as to cover or enclose the front and sides ofthe lower limb, as for example, a longitudinal half-section of a hollowcircular cylinder, but is preferably shaped, as shown in the drawing, inthe form of a longitudinal half-section of a hollow truncated cone withthe larger radius end at the knee and the smaller radius end at theankle. This particular shape is preferred because it results in a morecompact, tight-fitting design and requires a minimum amount of materialto accomplish its purpose with a resultant saving in weight. Each of thelower armor sections is held in place against the lower limb of thewearer by means of separate flexible adjustable straps 11 and 12 whichare spaced apart and extend around the back of the leg from one side ofthe armor section to the opposite side. Each of straps 11 and 12 isfastened at one end thereof to the inboard side of the armor section andthe opposite or free ends have attached thereto, as shown in FIGURE 5,links 13 having offset pins 14 integral therewith, each pin is adaptedto be inserted and frictionally retained within a socket 116 located onclips 15 permanently attached to the outboard side of the armor section.The free end of the strap is fastened to the outboard side of the armorby inserting the pin 14 downwardly into the socket 16. The pins on thearmor section are connected by means of a common cord 17 having at theupper end thereof a tab 18. A sharp pull in an upward direction on thetab 18 accomplishes a substantially simultaneous withdrawal of the pinson that particular armor section freeing the straps and the armorsection from the leg.

The upper leg armor section 20, as with the lower armor section 10, maybe in the form of a longitudinal half-section of a hollow circularcylinder or other shape to cover the front and sides of the thigh, butis preferably in the form of a longitudinal half-section of a hollowtruncated cone with the larger radius end at the upper end of the thighand the smaller radius end near the knee. This section curves upwardlyalong its longitudinal axis at its upper end 21 to provide protection ashigh on the front of the thigh as possible while not interfering withbending movements or comfort in a standing or sitting position. Thelower'end 22 of the upper section 20 fits within lower section and ispivotally joined thereto by means of pivot pins 23 and 24. In a standingposition, the lowermost end 22 of the upper armored section extendsbelow the top of the lower section 10. The location of the pivot anddesign of the upper section allows this section to be rotated rearwardlywith respect to the lower sections so that the upper section continuesto lie fiat against the thigh of the wearer. As illustrated in FIGURE 1,the upper section of the leg armor is held in place against the thigh ofthe wearer by straps attached to a harness that is worn about the waist.The harness designated generally by 30 consists of a heavy cloth belt 31or girdle drawn about the waist and fastened in front of the wearer bymeans of a buckle 32 or by a nylon hook and pile fastener of the typeshown in US. Patent No. 2,717,437. Adjustable straps 33 attached to thefront of the harness are connected to the top edge 21 of the upper armorsections and serve to carry part of the weight of the armor and to holdthe upper armor fiat against the thigh. The connection between thestraps and the armor is accomplished by means of a quick-releasemechanism 34 similar to that described in connection with the strapsused to secure the lower leg armor sections. A second pair of straps 35are attached to the harness and extend around the body of the wearer anddownwardly to engage the sides of the upper armored section. Straps 35as shown in FIGURE 3 are attached at opposite sides of the harness overthe hips of the wearer and are drawn back and downwardly crossing behindthe wearer and around the leg to the side of the upper armored section.The free ends of straps 35 are attached to the upper armor sections bythe same type of quick-release assembly as employed with straps 33. Oneach leg the pins holding straps 33 and 35 to the upper armor sectionare connected by means of a common cord 36 which when drawn will releasethe pins, freeing the upper armor section from the restraint of thestraps.

The harness means described, in addition to functioning to secure theupper armored sections to the legs, also carries a portion of the loadof the armor transferring it to the hips of the wearer and relieving thelegs of some of the encumbering effects of the armor during walking.This latter function is quite important in walking movements since theweight of the armor would otherwise be completely carried by the movinglimb.

An essential element of this invention is the presence of weighttransfer means attached to each of the lower armored sections andextending downwardly therefrom which serve to transfer at least aportion of the weight of the armored sections to the surface supportingthe wearer. The leg armor for each leg will weigh in excess of twentypounds even with this design which provides maximum protection with aminimum of material. Such a load, however, cannot be carried in either astanding or a sitting position for any length of time without adverselyaffecting the wearer thereof. The fatigue and discomfort that wouldresult from such an inordinate weight burden would greatly diminish theeffectiveness and mobility of the wearer and would motivate the wearerto shed the armor when it became uncomfortable. This same weight,however, can be carried easily and comfortably if means are providedwhich will transfer all or a portion of the weight burden from the legsof the wearer to the surface supporting the wearer. Such weight transfermeans way between the rear edge and the front of this section,

i.e., substantially centered along the side of the section. The lengthof the bar extending below the section may be adjusted to fit theindividual by selection of the appropriate openings in the armor sectionwhich are aligned 1 with openings in the bar and fixed in position bymeans of bolts 43 passing through the aligned openings. The weighttransfer means is adjusted so that both it and the foot of the wearerwill contact the ground surface, thereby transferring the weight of theupper and lower armored sections to the ground surface and stillpermitting normal walking movements. Even in a sitting position theweight of the lower armored section and some of the weight of the uppersection would be transferred to the surface beneath the wearers foot.Attached to the lowermost end of each of the weight transfer bars is awheel 42 which extends below the bar and actually makes contact with theground surface. The wheel as shown in the drawing has a wide circularband or bearing surface 44 and a solid back wall 45 and is attached tothe support bar by a bolt 46 and the lock nut 47. A slot 48 in the backwall of the wheel permits further vertical adjustment of the weighttransfer means since can be locked to the bar at any point along theslot. The curved surface of the wheels prevents snagging and alsopermits the armor to pivot smoothly during leg bending movements.

Another version of the weight transfer means, illustrated in FIGURE 4,consists of a strong, one piece, metal wire frame designated generallyby Stlwhich extends around the front of the lower armored section, andhas an upward loop 51 in the front center thereof which is held in afixed position with respect to armor by means of a threaded adjustmentscrew 52. The wire frame extends downwardly on each side of the armor atabout the center line of the side aspect thereof and passes throughretainer clips 53 riveted to the armored section and terminates in acurved rocket 54 which makes contact with the ground. The radius ofcurvature of the outside edge or bearing surface 55 of the rocker 54 isquite large and averages out to more than 12 inches so as to permit agradual rotation of the lower armored section about its pivot point onthe ground surface during knee pivoting and bending movements and alsoto facilitate walking or other movements over the ground surface sincethe curved bearing surface will be able to glide or at least pivot to acertain extent over the surface. This particular version of the weighttransfer means has an advantage in that a single adjustment will controlthe spacing of both rockers below the armor on each side thereof.

In FIGURE 5 there is shown an adjustable strap 60, which lies across thefoot 61 of the wearer and is attached at either end thereof to each ofthe downward extensions of the weight transfer means. In walkingmovements, this Strap serves to lift and carry some of the weight of thearmor.

It can be seen, therefore, that the leg armor system of this inventionwill protect the front and substantially all of the side aspects of thelegs from small arms pro jectiles traveling at or near muzzle velocity,'andthat despite its heavy weight can be worn without causing unduefatigue and without interfering with leg move ments. In addition, it ispossible by merely pulling on two tabs to release all straps holding thearmor sections to the leg of the wearer.

The foregoing description is illustrative only, and it will beunderstood that various changes in the details, materials, steps andarrangement of parts, which have the wheel been herein described andillustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be madeby those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of theinvention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An armor system to shield the legs of a human body from ballisticprojectiles and fragments, comprising for each leg a lower armoredsection shielding the frontal aspect of the lower leg from the ankle toa point above the knee,

an upper armored section shielding the frontal aspect of the thigh,extending from a point below and within the top of said lower section tothe upper portion of the thigh, and pivotally connected to said lowersection for flexing of said sections about the knee area whereby theupper section remains substantially flat on the thigh when the knee isflexed, and

weight transfer means attached to said lower section and extendingdownwardly therefrom to engage the surface upon which the wearer isstanding whereby at least a portion of the weight of said upper andlower armored sections is borne by said surface.

2. An armor system according to claim 1 wherein said weight transfermeans extends downwardly from each side of each of said lower sections.

3. An armor system according to claim 2 wherein the lowermost end ofsaid weight transfer means terminates in a curved rocker means thatextend in a direction substantially parallel with the longitudinal axisof the foot whereby said rocker means remains in contact with thesurface when the knees of the wearer are flexed.

4. An armor system according to claim 3 wherein said weight transfermeans is of unitary construction and is adjustably attached to the frontof said lower section to permit upward or downward adjustment of saidmeans.

5. An armor system according to claim 3 wherein said weight transfermeans comprises independent rigid bar members adjustably fixed to andextending downwardly from either side of said lower section.

6. An armor system according to claim 1 wherein said lower and upperarmored sections are provided with means to fasten the sections to theleg of the wearer.

7. An armor system according to claim 6 wherein said fastening meanscomprises flexible straps extending from one side of the armor sectionaround the back of the leg of the wearer to the opposite side of thearmor section.

8. An armor system according to claim 7 wherein said straps arereleasably fastened on one side of said upper and lower armor sectionsby means of a quick-release assembly consisting of a pin mounted on theend of each of said straps for insertion in sockets mounted on said sideof said armor sections.

9. An armor system according to claim 8 wherein the pins used toreleasably fasten straps on each leg armor section are connected to acommon release means where by substantially simultaneous withdrawal ofall of the pins on said leg may be accomplished with said common releasemeans.

10. An armor system according to claim 1 including a single harnessmeans which encircles and is adjustable so as to tightly fit around thewaist of the wearer, said harness means having a pair of strapsextending downwardly therefrom to the top of each of said upper sectionsand releasably fastened thereto to partially support the weight of thearmored sections.

11. An armor system according to claim 10 having an additional pair ofstraps attached to said harness means, said additional straps beingcapable of extending around at least a portion of the body of the wearerin opposite directions and downwardly to engage the outer sides of saidupper armored sections to hold said sections against the thighs of thewearer.

12. An armor system according to claim 1 wherein said lower and upperarmored sections are formed substantially in the shape oflongitudinal-half sections of hollow, truncated cones.

13. An armor system according to claim 12 wherein the smaller radius endof the upper section extends downwardly and into the larger radius endof the lower section.

14. An armor system according to claim 1 wherein said armored sectionshave a V ballistic limit of at least 2800 feet per second for .30caliber ball and A.P. projectiles.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1917 Boucher 2-2.5 8/1920Brewster 22.5

1. AN ARMOR SYSTEM TO SHIELD THE LEGS OF A HUMAN BODY FROM BALLISTICPROJECTILES AND FRAGMENTS, COMPRISING FOR EACH LEG A LOWER ARMOREDSECTION SHIELDING THE FRONTAL ASPECT OF THE LOWER LEG FROM THE ANGKLE TOA POINT ABOVE THE KNEE, AN UPPER ARMORED SECTION SHIELDING THE FRONTALASPECT OF THE THIGH, EXTENDING FROM A POINT BELOW AND WITHIN THE TOP OFSAID LOWER SECTION TO THE UPPER PORTION OF THE THIGH, AND PIVOTALLYCONNECTED TO SAID LOWER SECTION FOR FLEXING OF SAID SECTIONS ABOUT THEKNEE AREA WHEREBY THE UPPER SECTION REMAINS SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT ON THETHIGH WHEN THE KNEE IS FLEXED, AND WEIGHT TRANSFER MEANS ATTACHED TOSAID LOWER SECTION AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM TO ENGAGE THESURFACE UPON WHICH THE WEAREER IS STANDING WHEREBY AT LEAST A PORTION OFTHE WEIGHT OF SAID UPPER AND LOWER ARMORED SECTIONS IS BORNE BY SAIDSURFACE.